Expansion-joint separator



Patented Mar. '28, I899.

m A m 0 D 0 4 m 6 0 N EXPANSION JOINT SEPARATOR.

(Application filed June 29, 1898.)

(No Model.)

Inventor? K M by $4 amp/u Witnesses Attorney UNTTED STATES trues.

PATENT EXPANSION-JOINT SEPA-RATOFL' SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 621,940, dated March 28, 1899.

Application filecl June 29, 1898. Serial No, 684,752. (1T0 model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, DENNIS OHAIR, a citizen of the United States, residing at Sterling, in the county of Whiteside and State of Illinois,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Expansion-Joint Separators; and I do declare the following to be'a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertai-ns to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

My invention has reference to expansionjoint separators to be used particularly in making joints in concrete or permanent sidewalks. Such walks are made by. filling a trench with suitable foundation material several inches in depth and covering this with a mixture of crushed stone, gravel, and cement, termed by the workmen as grout. The grout is tamped or pounded down with a heavy tool into as compact a form as possible and could be made into one continuous strip if it were not for the expansion in the spring, which causes cracking unless an expansionjoint is made. Previously this was done by using a piece of wood of convenient size and length at each end of a section to form a straight line and wall against which to tamp. This necessitated the putting in of every other block and leaving said strip until the grout solidified into its permanent shape when the strips were removed and the intervening spaces filled and formed. Then the joints were separated or cut with a suitable tool in order that there should be no connection between the sections. The outside edges of these walks are given their shape by means of wooden strips, usually two inches by four inches, set on edge. When the aforesaid cross-pieces were used, they were nailed to the outside pieces, and the taking out and renailing of said cross-pieces soon rendered a set of strips unfit for use.

My invention being preferably of steel of a suitable thickness can be placed between the sections and held firmly by means hereinafter described, making a true line, a wall to tamp against from both sides at once, and

avoiding the necessity of cutting the joint after the sections have been tamped.

I attain the above advantages by the mechanism shown in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation showing my separator in position foruse upon the foundation material. Fig. 2 is adetail of one end of the same.

Similar letters refer to similar parts in both Views.

Since both ends of my separator are of the V same construction, I will confine myself to the description of one end.

A represents a strip of metal, preferably of steel, in this case five feet in length, four inches in width, and one-fourth inch in thick ness, the end of which is provided with the spurs B. The rod 0 is of a suitably proportionate size and is provided with a set of ratchet-teeth D on its upper edge and on its outside end with a hook E, having a sharp point F, and .is held in its position on the strip A by suitably-secured guide-irons G. The lever H is so fastened to the parts A and O that when it is pulled toward the center of the part A the pawl J will engage with the ratchet-teeth D and the spurs B and hook F become embedded in the wooden strip K, which is set at the outside of the walk and above the foundation material L. \Vhen the pair of levers H are drawn toward the center of A, the separator is held in a firm position until the sections are tamped and the expansion-j oint formed,when by releasing the pawls the tool may be easily removed. The hook F leaves an. impression on the wooden strip K, which is an aid in re-marking the joint after the grout has been covered with the final covering of cement.

The entire tool is preferably made of steel, and the part A may be made adjustable in its center portion to any width of walk.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

1. In the herein -described separator the combination of the strip A and movable rod 0, and means substantially as shown for holding and operating the latter for the purpose described.

2. In the herein-described separator, the combination of the sliding rod 0, the hook E and ratchet-teeth D thereon, the stripA upon which the rod 0 is seated, the connecting-lever II, the pawl J on said lever, by means of which said rod is operated and held respectively, substantiallyas shown and for the purpose described.

3. In the herein -described separator, the combination of the strip A, the spurs B at the extremities thereof, the hooked rod 0, ratchetteeth D and point F thereon, the lever II, and the pawl J pivoted to said lever, all suitably held together in an operative manner, sub stantially as shown and for the purpose specified.

DENNIS OIIAIR.

\Vitnesses:

G. L. MANAI-IAN, ALICE JOHNSON. 

